Research

The laboratory examines the communication between epithelia and stroma through the lens of fundamental developmental pathways such as Hedgehog, Wnt, and Notch pathways. During development, these pathways mediate critical interactions between endoderm and mesenchymal germ layers that will arise to epithelium and stroma, respectively. The pathways mediate stem cell fate, proliferation, and differentiation.

Our laboratory studies these pathways and their interactions in the context of non-small cell lung cancer and head and neck cancers. We use genetic, chemical, and biochemical methods to dissect molecular mechanisms in cultured cells. Genetic and xenograft mouse models of cancer are used to model these interactions and to test in vivo effects of pharmacologic agents.